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Angling for the "silver express" was once only possible on the great rivers of the Pacific Northwest. Due to stocking efforts by several of the Great Lake’s bordering states, there are now a number of locations in the Midwest and Northeast where steelhead fishing exists. The Lake Ontario tributaries from the Niagara River and all along the lakeshore to Oswego and around Pulaski, New York have excellent runs of steelhead.
The best time to fish is from mid-October into December and again from late February until April-depending on the weather. Chasing Great Lake’s steelhead in the fall entails an understanding of their behavior and appreciation and patience for a hookup. Since both wild or hatchery reared Great Lakes steelhead are a "Heinz 57" of genetic West Coast steelhead from California, Oregon, Washington and British Colombia, their genetic code is complex. They ascend the rivers in the fall and early winter and remain until they spawn in March.
When steelhead first enter the rivers in the fall they are very wary and shy due to clear, low waters. They prefer to hang in the deep runs and seams behind the spawning salmon. The tail outs and deep flat pools are comfortable holding lies for steelhead. Anglers should look for deadfalls, sweepers and other obstructions for holding shelter. Deep runs or tail out combined with obstructions make hot steelhead water. Current seams on the inside or outside, or riffles dropping into pools are comfortable lies. Steelhead will avoid stagnant water or silt areas, preferring clean gravel bottoms. Ninety percent of the holding lies produce year after year. Boulder seams, bridge abutments, and dams will slow migration and facilitate holding behavior. Water level increases from strong rains and snow melt will raise the rivers and create quick upstream migration.
October and early November are an excellent time to fish because water aggressive nature temperatures are warm and the non-spawning fish are most aggressive. The most productive flies at this time are streamers and salmon flies fished on sink-tip lines. Orange, red and blue Estaz flies, egg-sucking
leeches and woolly buggers in addition to large nymphs with overtones of black, purple, orange and chartreuse work well based on water conditions. Egg patterns are hot when the Chinook are on the beds. Peach, chartreuse and Oregon cheese are the most popular flavors. Prepare for jolting strikes, aerial battles and the uncanny ability of a fall fish to charge the angler creating slack, then doing a reverse turnaround at the speed of light - snappolla!
Ideal weather conditions consist of cloudy days in the autumn, winter and spring with low light levels. Rain also provides comfort to steelhead. On cold winter days the warming sun and calm of the day often produce the bite.
When rivers are low and clear, the early morning and late evening hours are best. These periods also represent the lake steelhead’s principal feeding times, which correlate to the vertical migration of tight schooling baitfish. A "first water" advantage is often necessary on heavily fished rivers. Steelhead quickly turn off the aggressive bite after being bombarded by anglers and boats.
The streams of the Northeast lend themselves to some special techniques. Unlike the large western rivers where steelheading originated, these streams are small and do not allow the luxury of a long upstream cast and a corresponding long drift. Floating line and a long leader with heavily weighted flies or a fast sinking line can be used in some locations, but the majority of hot spots are small, deep holding areas in otherwise shallow, unproductive water often with filled with snags.
To effectively fish such lies, anglers need to get their fly to the bottom quickly and hold it there for the length of the drift. Traditional style fly fishing is replaced with a method widely practiced on many rivers called the "chuck and duck" technique. It consists of a floating running line attached to a six-foot, two-part leader, a three-foot butt section of 15-pound test mono ending in a loop, and another three foot section of 6- to 12-pound test for a tippet. If the water is cloudy, use the 12 pound. When it gets clear, use
smaller tippets.
Casting is accomplished by stripping off enough line to reach the target water into loose coils. Swing the rod back, allowing the weight of the shot to load the rod. Then, using a single haul, make a "lob" cast-chucking the split shot and shooting the line. The "duck" part comes into play immediately after the chuck." It isn’t nearly as difficult as it sounds, and I won’t say it’s a fun way to cast, but it’s certainly quite effective.
Tackle can be critical. A 9-foot or longer, 6- to 9-weight graphite rod will allow control of the fly’s drift with as little line as possible on the water. This fishing is much like "high stick" nymphing. Because of the weight of the split shot, strike indicators are seldom used. In cold water strikes can be subtle, as the fish just suck in the fly. Sharp hooks will increase your ratio of hookups. A reel with a smooth drag and at least 150 yards of backing is also a must. Playing steelhead is often a wild experience; add another angler also with a hooked steelhead in the same pool and you never know what will happen.
The successful steelheader is a hunter of fish, an angler that has learned to read and interpret the signs of the river to locate the ultimate freshwater quarry. For those flyfishers who are new to steelhead fly fishing, they must realize that they will face a completely new set of factors compared to those when fly fishing for resident feeding trout. Fishing with a fly for steelhead is a challenge which only the fly angler can appreciate. Without question other tackle can be more effective for these non-feeding fish. But, for the flyfisher, there is an appeal that defies explanation and which culminates in a personal euphoria when a fish strikes.
FISHING REPORT: Moderate water levels and newly stocked trout combine for good to excellent action on most state streams. Top waters include: the Yantic, Hammonasett, Mianus (TMA), Saugatuck and Farmington River. Cooling water temperatures are reducing terrestrials, but Winter/Summer Caddis and blue wing olives are also working in the mornings. Rusty spinners will produce late in the day and Isonychia into the evening.
Fishing in lakes should improve as DEP has started its fall stockings Good bets this weekend include Long Pond, Amos, Rogers, Cedar, Pattaconk and Quonnipaug Lakes. The best reports for Largemouth bas are coming from fishing is variable with Gardner Lake, Saugatuck Reservoir, Mudge Pond, Congamond
Lakes Pachaug Pond, Glasgo Pond, Amos Lake and Rogers Lake. Smallmouths are hitting at Gardner Lake, Lake Lillinonah Candlewood Lake and the Housatonic River.
In saltwater, striper fishing remains steady off Watch Hill, Ram Island Reef the Race, Bartlett Reef, Black Point area, the Sluiceway, Hatchett Reef and Long Sand Shoal. The Bluefish bite has improved in LIS with larger fish in the 12-or-more lbs. being reported. Best spots include the Race, Millstone Pont, Connecticut River breakwaters and the Watch Hill Reef complex. False albacore hookups are consistent at Watch Hill, the south side of Fishers Island, Pine Island area, Harkness Memorial State Park, Millstone Point area, the Sluiceway and Montauk.
Bob Salerno is a United States Coast Guard licensed captain and a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association. Readers can write to him at 1 Herald Square, New Britain 06050 or e-mail Captbob317@cs.com.
